"Kids are natural-born scientists. At about sixth grade, they either become hooked or they begin to fade out. It's important to get to them early." Roger Lederer, professor emeritus, Chico State University; author; CSF Board President

Dr. Roger Lederer, President

"Science literacy is of the utmost importance if the U.S. is to maintain its leadership in science and engineering. The Science Fair is an excellent way to introduce students to the world of doing science and I want to be a part of supporting that effort."

Dr. Roger Lederer, Professor Emeritus, has been affiliated with CSU, Chico for over 34 years as a Biology Professor, Department Chair, Associate Dean for the Graduate School, and Dean of Natural Sciences. During his tenure he obtained approximately $1,000,000 in grant money for the promotion of science education. Dr. Lederer was instrumental in creating the Center for Mathematics and Science Education, the Science Teaching Lab, the Masters in Mathematics Education, and the Masters in Science Education.  

Dr. Judy Challinger, Chico State Liason

“As educators, I believe our goal should be to inspire a lifetime love of learning.”

Dr. Challinger is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at CSU, Chico. She specializes in computer graphics and image processing, software design, and hardware architecture. A primary focus of her research has been in application of computer graphics to the visualization of scientific data. She has two children, now both in college. Her free time is spent with her extended family or working on her ranch.

Ms. Sherri Kimmelshue, Treasurer

“I believe community supported science fairs offer children of all ages the opportunity to learn, expand their knowledge, feel an accomplishment and hopefully be excited about science. I am honored to be part of the support system affording them this opportunity.”

Ms. Kimmelshue came to Chico in 1985 with her newly wed husband who had lived in Durham as a child. She worked in public accounting for 5 years, and then went into accounting in the private sector. Ms. Kimmelshue has 20 years of experience in accounting for the medical field. She is currently the Business Manager for Pathology Sciences Medical Group, where she has been employed since November, 1995.  

Mr. Scott Johnson

“For the future well-being of our country, we are obligated to bring science into children’s lives early in their educational experience and sustain their interest for a lifetime of scientific inquiry and discovery.”

Scott D. Johnson works as a Senior Business Planner for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., specializing in management accounting services. With over 23 years of experience in the utility industry, he plans and reports on the financial and operational performance of the electric transmission construction and maintenance business throughout northern California. He gained a special appreciation for science from his wife, a food scientist and nutritionist.  

Mr. Kris Koenig

"Teaching our children critical thinking and the scientific method is the most important things we can do for the future."

Kris Koenig is a producer of award winning educational videos. His knowledge and expertise for writing, interviewing, camera work, lighting, editing, and production management culminated as the producer and writer of the Emmy® award-winning 10-hour PBS (KOCE) telecourse "Astronomy: Observations and Theories". His work has taken him all over the world including most of the major astronomical observatories in the western hemisphere. Non-astronomical productions have included traveling to China and Europe to produce K-12 educational videos. He is now in production on “Hey, bum! Get a job.” a documentary on three homeless individuals and their struggle to integrate back into mainstream society. In addition to being a professional astrophotographer, he is a lecturer of astronomy at California State University of Chico, and the founder and director of the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory and the Shoemaker Open Sky Planetarium. He is also an associate member of the American Astronomical Society.

Dr. Jim Mensching

“The fundamental skills involved in doing scientific investigations are important to all aspects of life.”

Jim is a professor of Management Information Systems and Accounting at CSU Chico. He has been at Chico State for 17 years. He specializes in enterprise wide information systems. He is a Deloitte and Touche Faculty Fellow and is involved with extensive international curriculum development for the SAP Academic Alliance Program.

Joel J. Mintzes

Joel J. Mintzes has been a college biology teacher for thirty-five years, the last twenty-nine of them as professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington .  He earned the B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Ph.D. in biological science education at Northwestern University .  His research focuses on conceptual development and cognitive processes in biology, and environmental education.  He has served on editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Science Education, as guest editor of the Special Issue on Learning of the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, and as co-editor (with James H. Wandersee and Joseph D. Novak) of Teaching Science for Understanding, and Assessing Science Understanding:  A Human Constructivist View (Elsevier Academic Press, 2005), and  (with William Leonard) of Handbook of College Science Teaching (NSTA Press). He is the author or co-author of nearly 100 refereed papers in the field of cognition and science learning. In addition, he served as Director of Research of the Private Universe Project at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Lead Fellow of the College Level-One Team at the National Institute for Science Education-University of Wisconsin at Madison, Visiting Professor at the Homi Bhaba Centre for Science Education of the National Institute for Fundamental Research (Bombay, India), Visiting Scholar in the Ecology Department at Providence University in Taiwan, and as Fulbright-Technion Fellow at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.  He has taught courses in general biology, cell biology, zoology and a seminar on cognition, evolution and behavior. Currently he serves as Professor of Biology and Chair of the Department of Science Education in the College of Natural Sciences at California State University , Chico .